RWBY 8 4 - Allies Where You Find Them
by Darkpenn
Summary: War plans, and a peculiar new arrival


**Allies Where You Find Them**

War plans, and a peculiar new arrival

 _[Author's Note: This story follows the story_ Up Close and Personal _, and is the fourth episode of Volume 8.]_

Doctor Watts was wrapping bandages around Salem's wound. "So this was done by the weak, indecisive fellow, was it?" he said.

"I am not in the mood for your sense of humour," said Salem.

"I assume that this is … quite painful," said Watts. "There are drugs that will – "

"No drugs," said Salem. "Just stop the bleeding."

"I can provide a mechanical prosthesis as a replacement," he said. "But when they are attached to … people … with magic inside them, the consequences are, well, not good."

"I am aware of that. No machines, Doctor."

"Uh, will it, how can I put it, uh, grow back? Since you are … you."

She stared at him. "Don't be stupid, Doctor," she said. "I am not a starfish."

His treatment completed, Watts began to pack his equipment away. "May I ask," he said, "what we are trying to achieve in this course of action? I understood the move against Atlas, and I understand the purpose in attacking Vacuo, but I do not see the profit in striking particular individuals."

"It gives me profit _here_ ," she said, striking her chest with her fist. "That is all you need to know. Although I have not forgotten my larger purpose. To bring together the relics."

"But you said that one of the relics is the girl with the silver eyes. Ruby."

Salem nodded. "She is the key," she said. "And she will come to me. Eventually."

Watts considered. After a while, he left Salem to her plots and plans and started for the laboratory where he conducted his experiments. On the way, he met Tyrian Callows.

"How did the date go?" said Watts.

"Very well," said Tyrian. "We went to Vale and created chaos everywhere we went. Had tea in a café and refused to pay. She re-programmed all the traffic lights to turn green at the same time and we watched the cars crash into each other. We laughed and laughed! Then we took candy from a baby. Surprisingly difficult but otherwise very enjoyable. You should have heard it scream! I tell you, Arthur, I had always thought that killing people was the most fun that you could have but now I am not so sure."

Watts smiled. "I am glad to hear that things are going well but you probably should not let the boss know," he said. "Since Neo is not exactly on our side. By the way, that Jaune fellow cut her hand off, just before she killed him. When you see her, pretend nothing has happened."

"Cut her hand off!? Really!? Do you have it?"

"What, the hand? No. I don't know what happened to it."

"What a shame," said Tyrian. He looked around. "You know, I don't like this place as much as the other castle. It's pretty small, and kind of drafty. And rather dirty."

Watts nodded agreement. "No cleaning lady. And I have to say that the boss is, er, different," he said. "Not entirely balanced."

"She has always been insane, Arthur. It's why we follow her."

"True, but now she is … more insane. Or perhaps insane in a different way."

Tyrian gave a giggle. "Here, I brought something back from Vale for you," he said. He took something from his pocket. It was a lollipop.

Watts took it. "Ah, my friend, you certainly know my vices," he said.

RWBY

It was two days later, at a café in Mistral.

"It was after we saw a small Nevermore," said Weiss to the others. "That must be how Salem moves around, seeing through a Grimm's eyes and then creating a portal. But Jaune took a piece out of her. In fact, I have it here. I thought I would send it to Ironwood, see if his techs can use it to find out more about her."

She opened the box she was carrying and showed them. The hand was grey and withered, almost skeletal with age.

"I don't know whether to say 'well done, Jaune' or yuck," said Blake.

"I'm going with the first one," said Yang. "Wow, Salem must be really old. She must have a wonderful moisturiser."

"My book indicates that she has been around for a long time," said Ruby. "If I am reading that chapter correctly, the dark magic inside her has been around since the beginning, and moves from one body to another. I think that Salem became Salem as we know her when she took the power of the Destruction relic into herself, using the spell in the _Book of Relics_. That was quite a few years ago." She stopped, suddenly lost in thought. "Hmm," she said. "Hmm."

"Are you going to tell us what you're hmm-ing about, sis?" said Yang.

"Not just yet," said Ruby. "By the way, I received a message from Nora, at the battlefront on Vacuo. She says that there is an awful lot of Grimm there but the Hunter teams have pushed them back a bit."

Suddenly, all their scrolls buzzed at once. They looked at them; it was a message from Qrow. A picture. Of a newborn baby, perhaps a day old.

"Whoa," said Auntie Weiss.

"What is that on its head?" said Ruby.

"Er, hair, I think," said Blake.

"Is it supposed to be black and white like that?" said Yang. "In, er, stripes?"

"A strange union of the Branwen and Schnee clans," mused Weiss.

A text message from Qrow followed. _Baby girl_ , it said. _Mother and child doing fine. Name is Corvus but she is probably going to get Magpie. For obvious reasons._

"Good news for once," said Ruby. "Been a while."

They wrote a congratulatory message and sent it.

Weiss stood up. "I have to do some shopping," she said. "Blake, would you please accompany me."

Blake started. "Me? Well, yeah, okay, if you like," she said.

Weiss realised she still had the box containing Salem's hand. She gave it to Ruby. "Look after this, will you," she said.

"Do I have a choice?" said Ruby, rather reluctantly taking it.

But Weiss, with Blake trailing after her, was already leaving.

RWBY

Nora Valkyrie and Nebula Violette were in a field tent, studying a map of the northern part of Vacuo. It showed the disposition of the Hunter teams, as well as the units of soldiers of Vacuo. And the known concentrations of Grimm.

"We have held them here and here," said Nebula, pointing at the map. "And even pushed them back here. That shipment of weapons from Atlas was extremely useful, it's a pity they cost so much. But those rock monsters created by Geists are really tough."

"Tell me about it," said Nora. "And we are still no closer to finding out where they are coming from. Until we can locate the point of origin everything is just a holding action.

"Nebula, I was very sorry to hear about Gwen. And Brawnz Ni as well. I know you were close to them."

Nebula nodded sadly. "I regret to say that we can expect more losses before this is over," she said.

The soldier at the tent entrance suddenly snapped to attention. "Make way for the Governor!" he called out.

Cinder entered; the other soldiers in the tent fell back to make way for her, and bowed. Nora thought: respect, mixed with more than a little fear.

"Huh," said Nora. "You. I will not say what I really think of you, in deference to your soldiers, who have fought bravely."

"Oh, I have been insulted by people who do it at a professional level, so I doubt you could say anything that I haven't heard before," said Cinder. "But I appreciate you showing regard to my people."

Nora stared at her, unsure of what to think. "Just because you fought alongside Team RWBY at Atlas, don't think I have forgotten everything you have done," she said. "You killed one of my friends, almost killed another, killed a Maiden to get her powers, and I am sure you left a trail of other bodies behind you."

"I don't suppose you could let bygones be bygones?" said Cinder, with a smile.

"Not really in my nature."

"Not in mine either, now I think about it. But I am not here today to exchange pleasantries. I am here to fight against the Grimm."

Nora looked at her suspiciously.

"I might say," put in Nebula, "that the Governor has fought on numerous occasions, and in several cases stopped the Grimm from breaking through."

"My Maiden powers are not what they once were but I can still rustle up a decent fireball," said Cinder. "So tell me where you want me to be. After all, Vacuo is my home now. And when I say 'my' I mean 'mine'. I do not want to see it turned to rubble. And I gain a certain amount of satisfaction from giving the finger to Salem."

Nora considered. She did not trust Cinder, but knew that at the moment there was a co-incidence of interests. Eventually, she turned back to the map and said: "We have stopped their advance at several places, but have reduced our defences here, in this valley called Thorhild. Actually, we have given the impression of reducing our forces. I believe that because of that the next attack of will come through there. It's something of a bottleneck, and the mountains will make it harder for their flyers."

Cinder studied the map. As she pointed to a particular spot, Nora saw that there was a slight tremor in her fingers. "Not a bad plan," said Cinder. "One thing, though. That area is very rocky. We can expect the Geists to generate some monsters."

"Are you capable to taking them down?"

Cinder shrugged. "Depends on how many, and how large," she said. "But I have destroyed a few."

"How many?" said Nora.

"Nine, maybe ten."

"Hmm."

May Zedong, head of the Scout Unit, came in. "Movement," she said. "It looks as if a major force is heading for Thorhild Valley. And there's something else. I got close enough to a concentration of them to get this." She showed them a photograph on her long-range camera. It showed an odd sort of Grimm, like a human-Grimm hybrid.

"Hmm," said Nebula. "That's new. Since there is only one of this type, we can assume that it is the head of the Grimm on Sanus. Like a general."

"Created by some special magic of Salem's, maybe. What should we call him? Or maybe her?" said Nora.

"Darius," said Cinder.

"Which means?"

"No idea. But … why not?"

Nora and Nebula exchanged glances.

"Darius it is," said Nebula.

Nora picked up her hammer. "Let's go," she said.

END (to be continued – next story: _Cry Havoc!_ )


End file.
